People Share 28 Money-Saving Life Hacks That Made The Biggest Difference For Them

Wait a week to see if you actually want an item. Stops impulse buys.

I use the public library. I'm an avid, fast reader. It makes no sense for me to buy books because I finish them (usually) fairly quickly. I have a shelf of favorites, but other than that, I frequent the public library, whether it's using my Kindle or getting physical copies. They're also great for fun, free events, classes, etc.

If you’re in a shopping mood, go to a thrift shop! Sometimes I just want a new item and that itch can be scratched with a $5 skirt or a $8 dish rather than $$$ at a regular shop - bonus, there often aren’t that many items you want, so it stops you from buying up the whole shop, and secondly, items are often good quality and will last longer than getting something from target.

I try to frame expenses, especially “wants”, in terms of time. For example: this game/clothing item/electronic device is the equivalent of x hours/days of work - is it worth it to me? Especially when I think about it from a post-tax and deduction standpoint, it helps put things in more perspective for me.

Shop your fridge, freezer and pantry BEFORE you even contemplate grocery shopping. The meme is true “we have food at home.”

For me it would be meal planning! Pre-COVID my husband and I never planned meals. He would get lunch at the cafeteria at his work and I would either eat snacks or walk to the nearest fast food place by my office. One of us would call or text the other on the way home from work with the dreaded what’s for dinner question which meant we would hitting the store almost nightly. It also meant we ended up buying things we already had at home. When we moved two years ago I found SIX jars of dried basil! We were also going out to eat a lot.

When the lockdowns happened going to the store every day wasn’t advised or safe so I started planning out our meals and what we could reuse for multiple meals. We would spend so much less on food when I would check what we already had first and make a list. We also stopped needing to grab takeout as much. The habit stuck and I’ll never go back to how it was before.

I live in a small apartment that hasn't been updated since 1970 and I drive an old car. I don't make a ton of money and I'm not particularly spendy in other areas, but I could be spending $700 or $800 more in fixed costs easy if I rented and drove "what I could afford."

A few times a year I get the bug to move into a nicer apartment, but instead I spend a few hundred bucks on a new rug or jazzy wallpaper or new sheets.

On my grocery list, I include a 'not' section, too, to remind me of things I commonly buy but don't need this week (generally butter, cheese, carrots, onions, potatoes, beans, pulses, herbs, and spices). It helps stop some 'just in case' purchases.

Pay myself first. Before any "fun" money is spent, I'm throwing $$ into my savings fund. I haven't set it up for an automatic payment yet but I will in the next few weeks.

I generally check Marketplace and local groups before I buy things like clothes, toys, baby gear and furniture (within reason, obviously there are some things that shouldn’t be bought used). If I can find it in good condition used, I’ll get it instead of buying new. I’ve saved heaps this way, and it’s better for the environment.

Letting things sit in my cart for a week before checking out has helped a lot. Or sending them to my “save for later” half the time I forget about them.

If you are planning on taking on new debt by financing a large purchase (car, house, etc.), calculate what the monthly payment would be then practice making that payment by putting that amount in a savings account each month. It gets you used to having that expense in your budget and helps you save up a down payment.

Budget realistically. If you give yourself unreasonable goals, you're setting yourself up to fail. Base your budget off of actual previous spending and try to improve slowly but surely. Yes, "no spend November" can be a fun challenge, but it's not sustainable.

bought a 99 civic with 125k miles from a neighbor when I was 15 and was devastated when it died a month ago. It had 273k when it stopped working and I will not be buying a new car. I don’t need that expense, and it’s nice biking places bc I am fortunate enough to live in a pretty bike friendly city. It has also cut down on my spending bc I hate online shopping and i rarely go to stores now, same with stopping at a fast food place on my way home from work. Really the only things I spend money on now are food, rent, loans etc and then I save most of what’s left. Only way I could spend less money is if I stopped buying weed and going out with friends, BUT it is important to have things that get out of the money saving, work grindset and live a bit.

Reporting my annual mileage to my car insurance company since my annual mileage is less than half of the generic estimate they use. Savings from that add up over time!

Use your credit cards like cash (that gives you cash back!). Don't spend money you don't have yet, and pay it off at least once a month.

Also: money is no good if you don’t look after you health. So take care of yourself. You’re worth that trip to the therapist/gym/doctor…

If you can’t afford to pay cash, you can’t afford it. (Aside from a home)

Use a spam email account for any purchases you make so that the marketing emails go to that account instead of the account you use for everything else. No more impulse shopping when “deals” come through in your email.

Keep track of everything you spend. From pricy to cheap. Add it all up at tte end of the month. It’s scary how much unnecessary spending goes on!